Local tattoo shop donates funds on Friday the 13th

Human Kanvas, an Airdrie tattoo parlor, has teamed up with The Alex, an organization that provides health care to low-income, at-risk, homeless and immigrant Calgarians, to raise funds for the expensive process of removing or covering up tattoos.

The event will take place on July 13 at Human Kanvas’ Calgary and Airdrie locations.

There will be an opportunity to purchase tattoos and piercings, as well as a silent auction and a raffle.

The event begins at 10 a.m.

“For most people, getting a tattoo is a personal choice... something you think about long and hard before getting the ink,” said Brandi Lee, manager of Human Kanvas in Airdrie.

“But for many at-risk youth, it’s a different story.”

Lee said many Airdrie youth use The Alex’ services and Human Kanvas wanted to work with the organization to help youth whose tattoos are holding them back.

“Some youth are tattooed against their will,” said Alyson Young, a youth support specialist with The Alex.

“Frequently these tattoos are gang related or are violent in appearance, and that is definitely something that will prevent these kids from moving forward and changing their lives.”

The organization’s Youth Health Centre regularly sees youth who are hoping to get their lives back on track but are dealing with a tattoo that makes that difficult.

“Educating people about tattoos is an on-going process,” said Young.

“As well as raising money, we’re hoping to bring more awareness to this issue. Recently there was an article in The New York Times about an exploited 16-year-old girl who was branded with her pimp’s name and bar code. And while it’s not a happy story, the good news is that people are finally starting to talk about this problem.”

For the last eight Friday the 13ths Human Kanvas has donated all the money earned from tattoos and piercings to different charities including the Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie, Airdrie and District Victims Assistance Society and the Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Society.

The last event in April raised $2,400 for the local Boys and Girls Club.

The previous event in January, raised $3,500 for the Calgary Firefighters Burn treatment Society.

In Calgary, Human Kanvas is located at 118 - 2323 32nd Ave. N.E. and in Airdrie, at Suite 100- 124 First Ave. N.E.

Tattoos and piercings will be completed with a minimum donation of $40.

Human Kanvas will match any donations of more than $60 with a gift certificate for the shop.

People are advised to arrive early as organizers are expecting a large turnout.